First car suggestions.

Laura says

Hi,
Im looking to buy my first car having just passed my driving test. Basically, i want something small, cheap to run and reliable and if I could buy it for in and around the €1200 mark all the better. Im at college so just needed for tipping around, definitely dont need anything fancy. Can anybody suggest a good make or model?
Thanks in advance,

ION08

Nissan Micra (k11).... As in '99 , '00 .. That shape Micra

Bulletproof cars and for 1200 you should find a decent one

Flunch

Clio

Max Power1

seconding the micra suggestion.

Otherwise a yaris or perhaps if you can get one in budget, a golf.

Would avoid renaults/peugeot small cars if you are looking for reliability tbh

mymo

I'd second the Clio, cheap to run and reliable, also fiesta is nice, but is less efficient.
I tried the yaris 1ltr and its a great little car, very cheap to run too.
Micra's are good too.
Another good one would be a corsa, cheap to run and cheap parts.
You should be able to get all of these for you budget, take your time, and get a mechanic to give it the once over before you buy.

lomb

Vw polos are good too, the 1l version. All the mentioned cars have low road tax,insurance , high mpg, zero depreciation virtually and have very cheap parts like tyres. Once you move into the 1.3 segment the costs go up by a magnitude probably double.

djimi

ION08 wrote: »

Nissan Micra (k11).... As in '99 , '00 .. That shape Micra

Bulletproof cars and for 1200 you should find a decent one

Agreed. Quite a nice little car to drive as well, unlike a lot of similar small cars which can feel like you are driving a shoebox with an attached steering wheel!

bazz26

Cannot go wrong with a Yaris OP.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-yaris/5369248

ION08

bazz26 wrote: »

Cannot go wrong with a Yaris OP.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-yaris/5369248

1450 for a 99 yaris with 170 thousand fecking miles :eek: .... Get a Micra!

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2000-nissan-micra-for-sale-nct-2014/5378537

Only 85k miles, 1 year newer, long NCT and plenty of change left for Tax, Insurance, Petrol

Yaris' are good cars but way overpriced from what ive seen.

JohnBoy26

ION08 wrote: »

1450 for a 99 yaris with 170 thousand fecking miles :eek: .... Get a Micra!

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/2000-nissan-micra-for-sale-nct-2014/5378537

Only 85k miles, 1 year newer, long NCT and plenty of change left for Tax, Insurance, Petrol

Yaris' are good cars but way overpriced from what ive seen.

Id bet even with that mileage, that yaris is still a better car than the micra you posted. Those micras are good reliable cars but most are rust buckets at this stage and I can't see the one you posted being any different.

ION08

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Id bet even with that mileage, that yaris is still a better car than the micra you posted. Those micras are good reliable cars but most are rust buckets at this stage and I can't see the one you posted being any different.

Dont be daft. The yaris has 170 god damn thousand, more than double the milage of the micra i posted, i.e more than double the wear!

The micra i posted was literally the first one on done deal.

The 1450 euro your man wants for his tired old 170k 99 yaris , will get you a faaaaar better micra. The one i posted cost 900 quid, that was just an example

Edit: it also has a recent enough nct and actually looks quite decent so why are you assuming its a "rustbucket"? .... Id actually bet you out of those 2 the yaris would be the bigger "rustbucket"

166man

bazz26 wrote: »

Cannot go wrong with a Yaris OP.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/toyota-yaris/5369248

Absurd money for what it is...:eek: Suspension looks way off in that specific example too.

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Id bet even with that mileage, that yaris is still a better car than the micra you posted. Those micras are good reliable cars but most are rust buckets at this stage and I can't see the one you posted being any different.

Better how? Do Toyota's not rust at all no? They're just so boring as well even if that is IMO, I sat in one the other day and couldn't get over why people pay so much for them. Not quite sure why you'd pay 50% more for the Yaris either, considering the Micra has it's fresh NCT, if it was a rust bucket where it matters then it wouldn't have passed...;)

ION08

166man wrote: »

Absurd money for what it is...:eek: Suspension looks way off in that specific example too.



Better how? Do Toyota's not rust at all no? They're just so boring as well even if that is IMO, I sat in one the other day and couldn't get over why people pay so much for them. Not quite sure why you'd pay 50% more for the Yaris either, considering the Micra has it's fresh NCT, if it was a rust bucket where it matters then it wouldn't have passed...;)

Its probably JohnBoy's Yaris or simple logic just isn't his strong point when weighing up 2 cars :P

JohnBoy26

ION08 wrote: »

Dont be daft. The yaris has 170 god damn thousand, more than double the milage of the micra i posted, i.e more than double the wear!

The micra i posted was literally the first one on done deal.

The 1450 euro your man wants for his tired old 170k 99 yaris , will get you a faaaaar better micra. The one i posted cost 900 quid, that was just an example

Edit: it also has a recent enough nct and actually looks quite decent so why are you assuming its a "rustbucket"? .... Id actually bet you out of those 2 the yaris would be the bigger "rustbucket"

I see these two types of cars day in day out so I know what am taking about. Those Micras are rustbuckets and there is hardly any good rust free ones left. just because it passed an nct does not mean it's rust free. A car can have lots of corrosion and still pass a test as long as there is no holes present.

granted the miles are high on yaris but at that age it's all about condition rather than the miles on the clock and as those yaris take the miles well and have much better rust protection than a micra they are a better bet even with lots of miles.

what would you rather, a low miles micra with plenty of rot underneath or a high mileage yaris in good condition with no rust underneath? I know which id choose.

Sam Russell

First car?

http://www.google.ie/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=aCKkj--2Mn0QZM&tbnid=tQYZ0J4YWrVpeM:&ved=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pedalcarco.com%2F&ei=q-_rUfeGGoKThQeF3oHIBA&bvm=bv.49478099,d.ZG4&psig=AFQjCNGQ_qgHZy1eQvMVt0DcszD30zAmVA&ust=1374503211834763

JohnBoy26

ION08 wrote: »

Its probably JohnBoy's Yaris or simple logic just isn't his strong point when weighing up 2 cars :P

or maybe it boils down to plain and simple experience

ION08

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

I see these two types of cars day in day out so I know what am taking about. Those Micras are rustbuckets and there is hardly any good rust free ones left. just because it passed an nct does not mean it's rust free. A car can have lots of corrosion and still pass a test as long as there is no holes present.

granted the miles are high on yaris but at that age it's all about condition rather than the miles on the clock and as those yaris take the miles well and have much better rust protection than a micra they are a better bet even with lots of miles.

what would you rather, a low miles micra with plenty of rot underneath or a high mileage yaris in good condition with no rust underneath? I know which id choose.

Youre unreal.

You havent actually seen any of those two cars so youre just making unjustified assumptions.

I havent seen them either but all im saying is that on paper the micra seems like a better buy because its a year newer, half the mileage, recently serviced and nct'd and yet nearly half the price of that yaris.

:rolleyes:

I mean if your girlfriend said she had 1200 to spend and presented you with those 2 donedeal ads, are you seriously saying on first impression by the Ads alone you would reccomend the yaris first??
If so, your capacity for logical reasoning is way off.

I bet you that Yaris is actially two cars welded together..... See I can also make unfounded assumptions about cars ive never seen :rolleyes:

_rebelkid

Just a few I found:

Opel Astra

Nissan Micra

Mercedes Benz A140

Toyota Corolla

Mitsubishi Colt

Volkswagen Golf

JohnBoy26

ION08 wrote: »

Youre unreal.

You havent actually seen any of those two cars so youre just making unjustified assumptions.

I havent seen them either but all im saying is that on paper the micra seems like a better buy because its a year newer, half the mileage, recently serviced and nct'd and yet nearly half the price of that yaris.

:rolleyes:

I mean if your girlfriend said she had 1200 to spend and presented you with those 2 donedeal ads, are you seriously saying on first impression by the Ads alone you would reccomend the yaris first??
If so, your capacity for logical reasoning is way off.

I bet you that Yaris is actially two cars welded together..... See I can also make unfounded assumptions about cars ive never seen :rolleyes:

Well one could argue that your "capacity for logical reasoning" is also way off. Your just looking at the number on the clock and making "assumptions" that the lower mileage car that is a year newer is automatically better.

At least my "assumptions" are based on experience. I have seen plenty example of both cars.

Celly Smunt

this and then add whatever you have over for money off your insurance.

_rebelkid

ION08 wrote: »

Youre unreal.

You havent actually seen any of those two cars so youre just making unjustified assumptions.

I havent seen them either but all im saying is that on paper the micra seems like a better buy because its a year newer, half the mileage, recently serviced and nct'd and yet nearly half the price of that yaris.

:rolleyes:

I mean if your girlfriend said she had 1200 to spend and presented you with those 2 donedeal ads, are you seriously saying on first impression by the Ads alone you would reccomend the yaris first??
If so, your capacity for logical reasoning is way off.

I bet you that Yaris is actially two cars welded together..... See I can also make unfounded assumptions about cars ive never seen :rolleyes:

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Well one could argue that your "capacity for logical reasoning" is also way off. Your just looking at the number on the clock and making "assumptions" that the lower mileage car that is a year newer is automatically better.

At least my "assumptions" are based on experience. I have seen plenty example of both cars.

^ All this cr*p is anecdotal, so neither of ye are completely believable. Believing ye is as much of a leap as believing the ads themselves. Maybe try and look for good models of each (or different cars), and not bicker?

ION08

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Well one could argue that your "capacity for logical reasoning" is also way off. Your just looking at the number on the clock and making "assumptions" that the lower mileage car that is a year newer is automatically better.

At least my "assumptions" are based on experience. I have seen plenty example of both cars.

Well i guess we'll never know unless we go kick a few tyres so its a pointless argument.

Still though, if i were a betting man my money would be on the Micra being the better car

JohnBoy26

Celly Smunt wrote: »

this and then add whatever you have over for money off your insurance.

These are a bit unrefined but are super reliable and are very ecomimical.

Celly Smunt

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

These are a bit unrefined but are super reliable and are very ecomimical.

True,with the money left over the OP could probably get a nice set of small alloys to throw on it with brand new tyres which would give the car a much better look.

Apart from the wheels i don't think the Sirions are that bad looking.

ION08

Celly Smunt wrote: »

True,with the money left over the OP could probably get a nice set of small alloys to throw on it with brand new tyres which would give the car a much better look.

Apart from the wheels i don't think the Sirions are that bad looking.

Good find. Are they the same engine as in the yaris?

_rebelkid

ION08 wrote: »

Good find. Are they the same engine as in the yaris?

I think so. Toyota own Daihatsu, so they probably stuck in the same lump. Would seem crazy not to, considering the production cost...

JohnBoy26

_rebelkid wrote: »

I think so. Toyota own Daihatsu, so they probably stuck in the same lump. Would seem crazy not to, considering the production cost...

No they have their own daihatsu 1.0 twin cam unit which is 3 cylinder as opposed to the yaris's 4 cylinder vvti unit. It's the newer generation of both cars that share the same mechanicals.

JohnBoy26

ION08 wrote: »

Well i guess we'll never know unless we go kick a few tyres so its a pointless argument.

Still though, if i were a betting man my money would be on the Micra being the better car

we'll agree to disagree

starlit

Golf, Clio, micra, mazda, Citrogen c4, fiesta or yaris or a hyundai. I'd avoid a corsa though.

170000 miles on a yaris '99 you say. :eek:

166man

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

I see these two types of cars day in day out so I know what am taking about. Those Micras are rustbuckets and there is hardly any good rust free ones left. just because it passed an nct does not mean it's rust free. A car can have lots of corrosion and still pass a test as long as there is no holes present.

granted the miles are high on yaris but at that age it's all about condition rather than the miles on the clock and as those yaris take the miles well and have much better rust protection than a micra they are a better bet even with lots of miles.

what would you rather, a low miles micra with plenty of rot underneath or a high mileage yaris in good condition with no rust underneath? I know which id choose.

Are you a mechanic? Do you work on them every day? You cannot possibly say how many good or bad Micra's are out there either... I have feck all faith in the NCT myself but if it's badly rusted to the point of dangerous, it won't be passing. I ask you again, do Toyota's not rust at all no? Along the sills perhaps?

Who says that Yaris is in good condition, because it looks like a sh1theap to me!

I agree though, buy on condition of the car itself at this budget.

Laura says

Thanks everybody for the suggestions, I'll definitely be looking into some of those cars! Noticed though, nobody has mentioned a peugeot 206? or are they best steered clear of?

dgt

206? Back axles and awkward pedals. If left lying up the ecu could get whipped. Otherwise not overly bad of a choice.

If I were you I'd look at all available options, see what tickles your fancy and base an opinion on that. Listening to some of the crap in here isn't going to get anyone anywhere!

RedDeadMarshal

i'm in the same position as you although i'm looking at something a bit more fancy. For you I would recommend...

A golf that's all no matter what anybody says a golf is a golf it's a uniform in some countries for teenagers it's bulletproof especially the 1.9 tdi and 1.4 (non TSI) but obviously the tdis are out of reach. If you don't like Golfs which most people don't because they are overpriced and heavy on juice I would recommend a corolla the vvt-i engines are some strong engines.
But since with the budget you have you could only buy a mk4 which leads to some strange things why is the hose whatever that thing is called disconnected on the left side of the engine shouldn't it be connected to whatever it is connected to if somebody could answer this that would be great.

djimi

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

I see these two types of cars day in day out so I know what am taking about. Those Micras are rustbuckets and there is hardly any good rust free ones left. just because it passed an nct does not mean it's rust free. A car can have lots of corrosion and still pass a test as long as there is no holes present.

granted the miles are high on yaris but at that age it's all about condition rather than the miles on the clock and as those yaris take the miles well and have much better rust protection than a micra they are a better bet even with lots of miles.

what would you rather, a low miles micra with plenty of rot underneath or a high mileage yaris in good condition with no rust underneath? I know which id choose.

With all due respect, when you are buying a car for a grand then for the most part it doesnt matter a dicky bird what make/model it is; every car you look at needs to be judged on the merit of what you see in front of you. You say that Micras are prone to rust and that a Yaris is a better choice; if you are looking at 12 year old cars for a grand then you are as likely to find a Yaris that is in bits and a Micra that is pristine than you are to find the opposite. Every car needs to be checked out thoroughly (mechanically and the bodywork) regardless of make or model.

If you find a car that is in good nick and is mechanically sound then happy days. If you find one covered in rust then steer clear. That goes for a Micra/Yaris/Bentley or whatever it is that tickles your fancy.

JohnBoy26

RedDeadMarshal wrote: »

i'm in the same position as you although i'm looking at something a bit more fancy. For you I would recommend...

A golf that's all no matter what anybody says a golf is a golf it's a uniform in some countries for teenagers it's bulletproof especially the 1.9 tdi and 1.4 (non TSI) but obviously the tdis are out of reach. If you don't like Golfs which most people don't because they are overpriced and heavy on juice I would recommend a corolla the vvt-i engines are some strong engines.
But since with the budget you have you could only buy a mk4 which leads to some strange things why is the hose whatever that thing is called disconnected on the left side of the engine shouldn't it be connected to whatever it is connected to if somebody could answer this that would be great.

1.4 petrol golf engines are far from bullet proof. They are one of the softest petrol engines out there.

Ardennes1944

MK2 Punto for me. Couldnt get a cheaper car to run

H3llR4iser

Having little to spend doesn't mean you have to settle for something utterly unpleasant and that you don't like at all. I assume, by your nickname, that you are a girl so the first two choices in my mind would be a couple of "French ladies": Renault Clio and Peugeot 206. No matter what the Irish perception about French cars is, these cars sold by the millions across the entire continental EU and still go strong. They mysteriously become "unreliable" as soon as they cross the Irish sea. The 1.2 Clio in particular is nice to drive for its category and quite comfortable too.

Bear in mind that any "cheap" car you get is bound to need some attention...maintenance certainly, possibly one or two major jobs (tires or timing belt). If you are not mechanically savvy, have somebody who is inspect the car with you - and I mean somebody who knows what he/she is talking about; Reading a tuning magazine and driving around in a "souped up" Glanza doesn't qualify - and you should avoid unforeseen repair bills.

Finally, get a 1.2 maximum or the insurance premium will smother you.

RedDeadMarshal

H3llR4iser wrote: »

Having little to spend doesn't mean you have to settle for something utterly unpleasant and that you don't like at all. I assume, by your nickname, that you are a girl so the first two choices in my mind would be a couple of "French ladies": Renault Clio and Peugeot 206. No matter what the Irish perception about French cars is, these cars sold by the millions across the entire continental EU and still go strong. They mysteriously become "unreliable" as soon as they cross the Irish sea. The 1.2 Clio in particular is nice to drive for its category and quite comfortable too.

Bear in mind that any "cheap" car you get is bound to need some attention...maintenance certainly, possibly one or two major jobs (tires or timing belt). If you are not mechanically savvy, have somebody who is inspect the car with you - and I mean somebody who knows what he/she is talking about; Reading a tuning magazine and driving around in a "souped up" Glanza doesn't qualify - and you should avoid unforeseen repair bills.

Finally, get a 1.2 maximum or the insurance premium will smother you.

1.2 is not worth it I know a lad who got quoted 4000 for a k11 micra you are better off with something that is 1.4

djimi

RedDeadMarshal wrote: »

1.2 is not worth it I know a lad who got quoted 4000 for a k11 micra you are better off with something that is 1.4

Dont be ridiculous. For the most part (obviously there are exceptions) the smaller the engine the less risk the insurance company will see the car and the cheaper it will be to insure. Most of the time a 1.4 will cost more to insure than something in the 1.0-1.2 range.

JohnBoy26

H3llR4iser wrote: »

Having little to spend doesn't mean you have to settle for something utterly unpleasant and that you don't like at all. I assume, by your nickname, that you are a girl so the first two choices in my mind would be a couple of "French ladies": Renault Clio and Peugeot 206. No matter what the Irish perception about French cars is, these cars sold by the millions across the entire continental EU and still go strong. They mysteriously become "unreliable" as soon as they cross the Irish sea. The 1.2 Clio in particular is nice to drive for its category and quite comfortable too.

Bear in mind that any "cheap" car you get is bound to need some attention...maintenance certainly, possibly one or two major jobs (tires or timing belt). If you are not mechanically savvy, have somebody who is inspect the car with you - and I mean somebody who knows what he/she is talking about; Reading a tuning magazine and driving around in a "souped up" Glanza doesn't qualify - and you should avoid unforeseen repair bills.

Finally, get a 1.2 maximum or the insurance premium will smother you.

Maybe those clios aren't too bad but I can't agree with you on the peugeot 206 as they are horrible cars.

RedDeadMarshal

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Maybe those clios aren't too bad but I can't agree with you on the peugeot 206 as they are horrible cars.

true no wonder a 2008 one only costs 5000 euro or a 2007 one which is a diesel just over 4000

H3llR4iser

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Maybe those clios aren't too bad but I can't agree with you on the peugeot 206 as they are horrible cars.

Why exactly?

foreversky

Get a yaris .got a 02 last year 113.000 miles on still going good.great on fuel.

JohnBoy26

H3llR4iser wrote: »

Why exactly?

They are horrible to drive, the pedals are too close together and they are off centre. Peugeot obviously cut costs and just converted the lhd versions to rhd instead of making proper rhd version.

They are also not overly reliable with issues such as back axles which wear and troublesome rear brakes on models fitted with drums they also give lots of other niggles.

RedDeadMarshal

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

They are horrible to drive, the pedals are too close together and they are off centre. Peugeot obviously cut costs and just converted the lhd versions to rhd instead of making proper rhd version.

They are also not overly reliable with issues such as back axles which wear and troublesome rear brakes on models fitted with drums they also give lots of other niggles.

drums? what year are we talking here are they all drums up to 2011?

JohnBoy26

RedDeadMarshal wrote: »

drums? what year are we talking here are they all drums up to 2011?

the op has a budget of 1200 euro. I highly doubt that they will get a 2011 car for that money and certainly not 206 as they were out of production by then.

djimi

2011 Peugeot 206?

RedDeadMarshal

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

the op has a budget of 1200 euro. I highly doubt that they will get a 2011 car for that money and certainly not 206 as they were out of production by then.

I didn't say anything about her buying the car obviously a Peugeot 207 is out of her budget. I was asking whether all the 207 had drum brakes up to the year 2011. That's when they stopped making them.

djimi

206, not 207.

RedDeadMarshal

djimi wrote: »

206, not 207.

MY BAD got confused 206 207 not a fan of Peugeot they're all the same

Alfa Quadrifoglio

FIAT Panda, very reliable, four doors, economical, cheap tax and insurance, very easy to drive with great seating position, best small car out there imo